Title [Joshua 13:1-7] Divide the Land
God told the old Joshua (about 100 years old) the lands that had not yet been conquered, and commanded that he and the lands he had already conquered be distributed to each tribe. Now, I am trying to find the lessons that can be found in the text and receive grace.
1. You can see that God allows each person to do what is appropriate for their abilities (gifts).
Joshua is a man with a strong reputation for warfare from a young age. But now that he is too old and old, he is asking him to end his life by distributing land rather than war. When I was young, I was able to handle war because of my health, courage, ambition, and quickness. God's work must be done according to the power God has given us. If you are young, you should be young, if you are old, you should be as old as you are. Also, since each gift is different, you must not force yourself to do something even if you have not been given the gift, nor should you hide the gift you have been given. Let's remember that when we find and do work that matches our abilities and gifts, better results will come.
2. You can see that God wants everyone to work.
You have to understand the meaning of telling Joshua to do something else instead of telling him to rest. The coolest and most beautiful people are those who work. There is no one more handsome and no one more beautiful than a person who works hard. If this is God's will, it would be the attitude of a believer to put it into practice. Let's listen carefully to the saying, "If you do not want to work, do not let him eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). I hope that the church of God will also become the saints who want to find work to do.
Don't just think about resting because you can't do it with your body because of your old age. You can do anything you want to pray, comfort, and encourage. May we all work hard for the Lord until the very end of our lives.
3. You can see that God does not want to complete His work alone.
This is the meaning of allowing the remaining lands to remain without completing the conquest of Canaan through Joshua. It is greed that I want to accomplish something completely. It is also the pride of seeking fame or glory. Even if it's not me, I need to know that God's work is still being accomplished. All you have to do is do your best within the given limits. Therefore, let us not be impatient and overworked, but let us become the Lord's workers who do their best every moment. I hope that the remaining lands will also become saints who know how to humbly hand over the land that others need to conquer.
4. God's work is ultimately showing that God does it.
“I will drive them out before the children of Israel” (6). It can be seen that Moses and Joshua were merely tools used by God. We are tools. It is just a tool that God uses to do God's work. Workers use new tools as their tools wear out. It's natural. We certainly saw and learned this truth in the history of the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan. It is our duty to leave it to God to do it. Let's become the saints who are used humbly, knowing that they are used by the Lord's hand as an honor. The emphasis in the text is that Joshua did what God said. This is the attitude of the instruments of the Lord. Joshua obeyed God's command to divide the land. The war for conquest ceased and now the land was divided by lot by tribe. I hope that all of us who do God's work according to God's will according to the teachings of this text will be.